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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
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http://www.archive.org/details/forestsdunesfromOOwate 



FORESTS AND DUNES 



Point Betsie to Sleeping Bear 

Benzie and Leelanau Counties, Michigan 



Wr'c!' WATERMAN 




Northwestern University 
Evanston, Illinois 



Copyright. 1922 

by 

W. G. Waterman 



©Ci.A6 776 65 

JUL 25 1922 



k^ 






Nhl'i 



BEAUTIES OF FORESTS x\ND DUNES FROM POINT BETSIE 
TO SLEEPING BEAR. 

The writer has already described technically a portion of this region 
in a paper presented before the Michigan Academy of Science, and 
is preparing other papers to cover the balance of the region. The 
present booklet is a condensation of those articles, to give the many 
visitors to the region an opportunity to know its real nature, and to 
appreciate better its many features of beauty and interest. 




Fig. 1. Geography of N. W. corner of Benzie County, Michigan. 
I. GENERAL GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

There are three distinct divisions of the region, the Crystal Lake 
Bar comprising the strip of land between Crystal Lake and Lake 
Michigan; north of that the Platte Plains, a triangle of sand hills 
containing the Platte River and several lakes ; and still farther north 
the Sleeping Bear Plateau with the valley of Glen Lake to the 
eastward. 



To understand, the geography of the region, its geological history 
must first be reviewed briefly. Little is known of the topography 
before the Glacial period, but the Crystal Lake basin at least was a 
deep valley, as shown by the present great depth of Crystal Lake — 
frequently over two hundred, and in one place six hundred feet. 
The chart of offshore soundings in Lake Michigan also shows a sub- 
merged valley on the lake bottom west of Crystal Lake. When the 
glaciers passed over Michigan, they deposited clay, gravel and sand in 
great parallel ridges in a general East and West direction, which now 
appear as rows of hills. When the glaciers finally retreated, the 
south end of the present Lake Michigan was uncovered, while ice still 
closed the straits at Mackinac, with the result that the water was 
ponded at the south and the level of the lake was raised until the 
waters flowed out through the valley now occupied by the Chicago 
Drainage Canal, and discharged into the Mississippi River of the 
day. Marks of this high water stage, known as "Lake Algonquin," 
may still be seen in elevated beaches and terraces, in some cases 
several miles from the shores of the present lake. At this time harbor 
bars were built across the mouths of many former river valleys, 
closing them and turning the flooded basins into permanent lakes. 
Within this especial region there are four such valleys now known as 
Frankfort Harbor, Crystal Lake, Empire Harbor, and Glen Lake. 
South of this region the Herring Lakes, Portage Lake and others 
farther south had a similar origin. Crystal Lake was closed by a bar 
about four miles long and one mile wide. 

1. Moraines. On either side of Crystal Lake is a ridge of glacial 
material extending from the shore of Lake Michigan to the southeast. 
The northern or Point Betsie moraine varies from one-half mile to 
one mile in width, sloping to a well-marked ridge which is divided 
into long, rounded hilltops. About a mile from Lake Michigan, it is 
divided by the depression which extends from Bass Bay on Crystal 
Lake to the west end Of Long Lake. This originally contained a 
round pond about a quarter of a mile in diameter which was separated 
from Crystal Lake by a sand bar only a few yards in width. At that 
time the waters of Crystal Lake were approximately fifteen feet above 
their present level, being held back by a sand bar across the mouth 
of the present outlet, and the waters of the lake apparently escaped 
by seeping through the sand. About 1871, certain individuals formed 
an ambitious plan for an inland waterway from Frankfort Harbor 
through the Betsie River, Crystal Lake, and Long and Platte Lakes. 
.This would have greatly benefited the farmers as the sand roads were 
impassable, and a continuous waterway would have enabled them to 
get to Frankfort much more easily. It was claimed that a survey had 
been made, and that the scheme was practicable. As a first step, the 

2 



bar at the outlet was cut through and this of course rapidly lowered 
the water level of Crystal Lake. The sand bar between Round Pond 
and CryvStal Lake soon gave way, and the waters flowed out until only 
the present remnant was left. 

East of this depression the moraine widens. Its summit has been 
partly cleared for farms, of which the most conspicuous is the clearing 
of the Crystal Lake Orchards. Farther east it is crossed by a winding 
valley from the east end of Crystal Lake to the resorts on Platte Lake. 




Fig. 2. North moraine and grass n^eacTow near Long Lake, 

The southern or Frankfort moraine is flattopped and broader than 
the northern, and extends from Crystal Lake to the valley of the 
Betsie River. Frankfort Harbor is the flooded mouth of the Betsie 
River, and it is almost closed by a harbor bar which was occupied by 
low sand hills until they were leveled off to form the site of the 
Frontenac Hotel. 

These morainic ridges are composed mainly of sand and gravel, 
more or less water-washed and stratified, and they contain at least 
one layer of laminated clay several feet in thickness, as shown clearly 
by the exjDosure on the Lake Michigan bluffs. This layer is marked 
on the bluffs by a zone of vegetation, which is probably due to the 
seepage of water, held and brought to the surface by this clay laj^er. 
The character of the surface soils varies as different layers are exposed 
by erosion. This glacial deposit was apparently laid down on pre- 
glacial ridges, while the level areas between the ridges are due to 
water action at the time of the Algonquin depression. 

3 



The topography as well as the character of these deposits and the 
identification of Algonqnin beaches, show that in Algonqnin times 
Crystal Lake was connected with Lake Michigan toward the north by 
a channel passing west of Long Lake, toward the sonth throngh the 
vallev of the present outlet, and to the west throngh the then unfilled 
valley which now contains Crystal Lake. During this time a broad 
harbor bar was built across this valley between the western ends of 
the glacial ridges. This bar, which is approximately two miles long 



/ / / //. 




Fig. 3. Geology of Crystal Lake Bar. 



and three-quarters of a mile wide, now cuts off Crystal Lake from 
Lake Michigan, and accounts for the name given to this region. At 
present the western outline of the bar is convex, but probably when 
first formed, the glacial ridges extended much farther into Lake 
Michigan, and as they have been cut back the bar assumed its present 
shape. The region is still being eroded, as shown by the sand and 
clay bluffs, and by the presence of fixed dunes the western ends of 
which have been entirelv eroded awav by lake action. 





Fig. 4. Moiainic bluff on Lake Michigan at mouth of Platte River. 

2. Dune formation. Soon after the recession of the post-glacial 
lakes the wind began its work of piling up dunes, on which dune plants 
began to grow until they were at least partly covered by a conifer 
forest. These forest patches did not last long in any one spot, being 
blown out by the wind in some places while they were being formed in 
others. The dunes are found in two main localities in this region, a 
large complex on the Crystal Lake Bar surrounding the present Point 
Betsie, and a small group of perched dunes, called locally from their 
chief spectacular feature, the "Crater" group. 

"Point Betsie Complex. This group is located on Crystal Lake 
Bar, starting at a point on Lake Michigan at the western end of the 
grounds of the Congregational Summer Assembly, and spreading like 
a fan toward the north. It is about two miles in length and half a mile 
in width at its widest point. Its elevation varies from a few feet 
above the water level to ridges upwards of 200 feet in height. At the 
southern extremity of the group the dunes are fixed or covered with 

5 



vegetation, and extend from bluffs on the eroding shore to a steep lee 
slope on the eastern side. The contour of the fixed dunes is very 
uneven, showing dune ridges and outlines of blowouts. These are 
covered by a climax forest and have evidently been untouched for a 
very long time. Approaching Point Betsie the shore bluffs gradually 
become lower, and give place to a complex of moving sand. Great 
troughs lead from the shore for half a mile or more inward, to the 
advancing lobes of the lee front. Among these blowouts are found 
residual patches of the original forests. Just north of Point Betsie 
is a rather large patch of relic forest on three dune ridges, which 
extend southeastward from sand bluffs on the lake. On either side 
of them the sand has been blown out by both southwesterly and north- 
westerlv winds, and a semicircular trough with a very large horse- 




Fig. 5. Looking northwest through tlic trough of the great blowout. 



shoe-shaped blowout has been formed. This is one of the largest 
blowouts in the whole dune region of Lake Michigan, and is unique 
in this locality at least, in showing the influence of winds from two 
directions. Beyond this blowout the dunes are higher and the steep 
sand bluffs begin again, and finally end about a mile north of Point 
Betsie with a definite lee slope just where the edges of the moraine 
•ridge pass under the level surface of the bar. Under these dunes 
the moraine apparently extends some distance to the south as glacial 
pebbles have been found in situ almost to the top of the bluffs on 
Lake Michigan to a point within a quarter of a mile of the lighthouse. 

6 



The Crater Dunes. This small group of dunes is found half 
a mile north of Frankfort on the shore, forming a most interesting 
group of detached, perched dunes. They are only half a mile in 
length and one-quarter of a mile in width, and extend almost north 
from the shore, which at this point lies northwest and southeast. The 
group consists of small fixed dunes which like all the others of this 
region once extended much farther out into the lake. They are from 
50 to 100 feet in height, but are placed on a morainic plateau, whose 
surface is 100 feet above the lake. These fixed dunes have been blown 
out through the center in a long trough, which is complex and shows 
traces of a number of parallel blowouts. These all end in a large 
steep-sided, semicircular blowout, popularly called the ' ' Crater. ' ' 




riORAINES ^ 



Dunes r>x^>W^ Sand Hills ooo 



Deciduous Forest :^;/V>/V^;TAriARACK Cedak 
Extensions '^>x//<-/x Fokest 



'^A«< G RAS S M E A D W 



Fig. 6. Map of Platte Plains. 



3. The Platte Plains. Beyond Point Betsie there is a region which 
was a great bay in Lake Algonquin whose site is now occupied by 
a series of sand ridges with depressions between, known as the 
Platte Plains. This area may be described as a right triangle, 
the base of which extends east and west eight miles, and the east 
side about the same distance north and south, while the hypothe- 
nuse is formed by the coast line of Lake Michigan from the moraine 

7 



south of Empire to a point almost three miles northwest of Point 
Betsie. Between the sand ridges and the Algonquin bluff is a wide 
crescent-shaped trough of relatively slight depth containing a seties 
of lakes or ponds more or less connected and draining into Platte 
River, which meanders through the sand ridges and reaches Lake 
Michigan about at the center of the hypothenuse of the triangle. From 
west to east these lakes are Long, Rush, Platte, and Little Platte. On 
the east three small lakes are connected to Lake Michigan by Otter 
Creek. There are also two small lakes. Loon and Mud, on the lower 
stretch of Platte River. Loon Lake is marked on the maps as Round 
Lake, but it is not round but crescent-shaped. Its original name was 
Loon Lake and as there are still Icons to be found on it, it seems more 
appropriate to use the original name. When the glaciers were finally 




Fig. 7. Looking west over Platte Plains to the Point Betsie moraine. 



melting and opening the straits of Mackinac, the waters of Lake 
Algonquin gradually receded and formed a series of sand bars with 
lagoons between. On these bars, the winds built up low dunes which 
now form the sand ridges of the Platte Plains. The larger depressions 
remain as lakes, while the smaller ones have been more or less com- 
pletely filled in by the growth of aquatic vegetation. 

The borders of Platte Plains are formed by the remains of the 
.shores of the post-glacial Algonquin embayment. Beginning at the 
south on the shore of Lake Michigan with the low foothills or hum- 
mocks of the Point Betsie moraine, they extend across the fields in a 
southwesterly direction up to the west bank of the Round Pond basin. 



East of this basin, the old shore line begins again, but here it has been 
kept steep by the erosion of Long Lake. Beyond the cedar swamp, 
between Long and Rush Lakes, the terrace bends southward away 
from the lakes and runs roughly parallel with Platte Lake, until it 
reaches the southeast corner of the triangle, where is is trenched by 
the valley of Platte River entering the Platte Plains about a mile 
west of Honor. Northwest of Honor the terrace has been eroded into 
steep rounded hills for about two miles, to the vicinity of Otter Creek. 
Here the erosion of the creek has produced a steep bank almost bare 
of vegetation, and it so continues to the north corner of the triangle at 
the Empire moraine. The main road from Honor to Empire winds 
around the edge of the hills and gradually climbs to their summits, 
. giving beautiful views to the west and southwest over Little -Platte 
and Platte Lakes, and the mouth of Platte River valley. 



Kg. 8. View over Platte Lakes from hills above Honor. 

Michigan Highway 22 skirts the northwest corner of Crystal Lake 
to Bass Bay, then turns to the north past the remains of Round Pond, 
turns east again around the west end of Long Lake across the Platte 
Plains. About five miles east, it crosses Platte River bridge, goes 
through a series of blueberry hills and barrens, and climbs a long 
sandy hill to join the Empire road — Michigan Highway 11, from 
Honor. Four miles north the road descends a long serpentine hill into 
the Empire valley, similar to the Betsie River valley at Frankfort, but 
shorter and narrower. North of Empire is another high moraine 
forming the south border of the Glen Lake valley which is bounded by 
uplands on the east and south, and by the dune plateau of Sleeping 

9 



Bear on the west. In the center of the valley is a triangular morainic 
ridge which lies between the arms of Glen Lake. Through the swamijy 
flat east of the ridge, Glen Lake drains into Lake Michigan near Glen 
Arbor. 

4. The Sleeping Bear Plateau has as its core a broad morainic ridge 
with an average elevation of 450 feet above Lake Michigan. Its upper 
layers are composed of a very sandy gravel from which sand is con- 
tinually being blown toward the east and north. On the east it forms 
a lee slope which is advancing toward Glen Lake at a rate of six feet 
a year, and to the north it has produced a dune complex nearly a 
mile square, ending in Sleeping Bear Point on which is located a 
Coast Guard Station. East of the point the shore line curves south- 
east to the town of Glen Haven, situated on a flat which extends from 
the central moraine to the Sleeping Bear plateau. The dune sand 
from Sleeping Bear is adA'ancing on the flat and at one iDlace has 
nearly reached the foot of the central moraine. Through the narrow 
valley thus left runs a small lumber railroad from Glen Haven to the 
mill on the west arm of Glen Lake. 

The west edge of the plateau is being eroded by the waters of Lake 
Michigan, forming a steep bluff 450 feet high and two miles long. 
This makes a striking landmark, which is well known to every one 
who travels by water from Chicago to Charlevoix or Mackinac. The 
effect of this long level bluff is hightened by the presence of the dune 
from which the pleateau and the point get their name. This dune is 
forested on its eastern slope but is being cut away with the plateau by 
the waters of the lake. As seen from the lake, it resembles an animal 
lying on its side and the Indians told the story of a mother bear and 
her two cubs who swam across the lake to escape a drouth and famine 
in Wisconsin. The mother reached the shore first and, climbing up 
on the bluff, lay down to wait. The cubs tired out, sank in the lake 
and were drowned, and the Great Spirit transformed them into the 
Manitou Islands. The mother bear, falling asleep, was covered with 
sand and became the dune which now bears her name. 

II. INFLUENCE OF NATURAL CONDITIONS. 

Two factors of the natural environment are of great importance 
in understanding the vegetation of the region, the direction and 
strength of the prevailing winds and the nature of the soil. The 
prevailing winds are from the south and their force on exposed points 
-is the chief cause of the moving sands around Point Betsie and Sleep- 
ing Bear Point. As already described, the force of the northwest 
wind is shown about a mile north of Point Betsie, where its effects, 
combined with those of the southwest wind, have resulted in a large 

10 



crescentic blow-out, with a trough opening toward the lake on the 
north and also on the west. 

The soil varies from clay and sandy gravel on the moraines to 
pure blown sand on the dunes. This dune sand constitutes one of the 
poorest soils for plant growth that can be found. Although it seems 
very dry, this is only on the surface, and underneath there is enough 
moisture to supply the plants which can grow there, but it is deficient 
in the mineral elements, which are necessary for plant growth. This 
accounts for the scattered position and stunted groAvth of most of the 
plants that can exist at all on the open sand. As Ave approach the 
forests the sand contains more and more dead plant material and 
consequently it is able to support a denser vegetation. 




Fig. 9. The Climax Forest on fixed dunes. 



III. VEGETATION. 

A. The Climax Forest. The moraines and part of the fixed dunes 
were originally covered by a heavy forest known from its predominant 
trees as a Beech-Maple-Hemlock forest. This is best seen now on the 
fixed dunes north of the Congregational Summer Assembly, in spots 
on" the moraines north of Crystal Lake and in a few forest patches 
around Glen Lake which have been more or less modified by scientific 
cutting and care. On the Point Betsie dunes it is still practically un- 
touched at the southern tip and along the eastern edge of the dunes. 
The level ground of the Bar has largely been cleared, and is covered 
with second growth of forest trees and clearing pioneers, where not 
occupied by summer cottages. The climax forest is composed of 



beech, maple and hemlock, with much yellow birch. Where undis- 
turbed the trees are tall and slender with close stand and very little 
undergrowth. Occasional specimens of red oak (Quercus rubra), 
white pine (Pinus Strobus), and red or Norway pine (Pinus resinosa), 
are found. Among the shrubs the mountain maple (Acer spicatum), 
about at the southern limit of its range, the maple leaved viburnum 
(Viburnum aeerifolium), and the American yew (Taxus canadensis), 
are conspicuous. Characteristic species in the undergrowth are the 
wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), Streptopus roseus, Clintonia 
borealis, Aralia racemosa, the wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemuni 




Fig-. 10. Clintonia borealis in climax foi'est. 



canadense), the twin-tlower (Linnaea borealis), and the partridge 
berry (Mitchella repens), with Aspidium spinulosum, Adiantum 
pedatum, and Botrychium virginianum among the ferns. 

B. The Burned Area. The northern and central portion of the- 
forested strip has been burned on Crystal Lake Bar, in some parts 
repeatedly, in others not so recently. In the much burned portions the 
tree specimens are young and somewhat stunted. In the other por- 
tions the trees are larger and the undergrowth thicker. The species 
include the white birch (Betula alba), the chokecherry (Prunus 
virginiana), and the fire cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica), with the 
more xerophytic relics of the mesophytic undergrowth, and much 
bracken fern (Pteris aquilina), and horsetail (Equisetum). 

C. The Conifer Belt. Where the climax forest still untouched, 
extends to the shore, a zone 50 to 100 yards in width, shows a very 
characteristic difference in species. The trees are the arborvitae 

.. ' 12 



(Thuja occidentalis), the ironwood (Ostrya virginiana), the bass- 
wood (Tilia Americana), and the fir balsam (Abies balsamea), with 
the climbing bittersweet (Celastrus seandens). The line of demarca- 
tion is not sharp, but the climax trees, especiallj- hemlock, mingle 
with the others almost to the edge of the cliffs. The characteristic 
border zone species are not found farther back in the climax forest. 
This belt broadens as it approaches Point Betsie, but it has been 
largely cut up by blowouts on the dune complex around the point. 
A few interesting patches still exist as relic groves in the midst of the 
open dunes east of the lighthouse. These apparently grew in valleys 
between former fixed dunes whose summits have been entirely blown 
aAvay. The interiors of these patches present all the characteristics of 
a heavy forest, and their evaporation rate is almost as low as that of 
the climax forest. 




Fi^-. 11. Patch of Linnaea (Tvciii-flowerj on edge of forest. 



The vegetation is characteristic of the border zone described above, 
containing, especially Thuja and Abies, and is marked by some trees 
reaching two feet in diameter, but not over 30 feet in height. The 
undergrowth is similar to that of the climax forest, but is especially 
characterized by the maple-leaved viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), 
the poison ivy (Rhus toxicodendron), and the wild sasaparilla 
(Aralia nudicaulis). ^On the edges, next to the open sand, are found 
the bearberry (Arctostaphylos), the twin flower (Linnaea), and the 
creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis). These apparenth^ orig- 
inate in the fixed area, and extend out on to the sand, forming a 
protective covering which frequently contains also Juniperus com- 

13 



munis. Buried trees and occasional graveyards are to be found all 
over the moving sand area. In one spot seven evergreens may be ob- 
served within a radius of a few hundred feet. These are white, red, 
and Jack pines, arbor vitae, fir balsam, upright juniper and creeping 
juniper. 

D. Dune Vegetation. The moving sand on the open dunes affords 
very poor conditions for the development of vegetation. In fact the 
only plant which can grow on pure dune sand is the sand grass (Am- 
mophila arenaria), knoAvn by its loiigj slender, creamy -white spikes. 
This is the true sand pioneer and some investigators have reported 
that it cannot live unless it is annually covered by a fresh layer of 
blown sand. In sand that contains an appreciable amount of humus 
it gradually dies out. A close second is another sand grass, the 
Calamovilfa, distinguished by its large feathery flower clusters. Along 
with these grasses are found the sage green tufts of the wormwood 
(Artemisia canadensis), and the silky-white sand thistle (Cirsium 
Pitcheri). On the open sand are also found the harebell (Campanula 
rotundifolia), the beach sweet pea ( Lathy rus maritima), the yellow 
puccoon (Lithospermum) with a cluster of small trumpet-like 
flowers whose roots furnished a red war paint for the Indians, a 
slender white lily -like plant poisonous to cattle (Zygadenus), as well 
as several asters and golden rods. Among evergreens or semi-ever- 
greens, are the creeping juniper, the bearberry, with a dark red berry 
and small flat leaves, and the Hudsonia, looking somewhat like a 
small juniper but having a yellow flower. In the wet depressions or 
pannes on the open dunes, the characteristic plants are the Baltic 
rush (Juncus balticus), and occasionally the delicate little Utricul^-ria 
with irregular yellow flower. Among shrubs which are interesting 
are the sand cherry (Prunus pumila), several willows, the red ozier 
dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), and the evergreen upright juniper. 
Occasional single specimens or groups of white birch, balsam poplar, 
arbor Adtae and fir balsam have either wandered from the edge of the 
forest or started in pannes. The Linnaea or twin-flower also wanders 
from the edge of the forest even on to the bare sand, but it is almost 
always sickly and dwarfed under those conditions. 

E. Vegetation of the Crater Group. This group apparently con- 
sisted at first of fixed dunes, which were at least partly covered by 
the climax forest of the glacial plateau on which they are perched. At 
Dresent the outer slopes of the fixed dunes, from which the center has 
been blown out to form the trough, are covered by a formation similar 
to that of the border-zone and relic patches already described. On the 
open sand of the trough are found the usual pioneers of the region, 

14 



with in addition a great abundance of Anemone multifida and the 
Philadelphia lily (Lilium philadelphicnm). The sides of the earlier 
troughs are frequently covered with Ammophila and Calamovilf a, and 
in places these practically form fixed grass dunes. 




Fig. 12. Lower readies of Platte Eiver. 



F. Platte Plains Vegetation. The Platte Plains region varies from 
open dunes on the shore to the beginnings of the climax forest on its 
-inner borders. The vegetation on the shore is about the same as that 
on the Point Betsie dunes. The open dunes lead to a row of horse- 
shoe-shaped blowouts. These are bordered by thickets of wild roses, 
grape, red ozier dogwood and juniper. Between the blowouts are 
occasional groves of conifers, chiefly jack pine, arborvitae and balsam. 
Beyond tliese moving dunes begins the sand ridge region now cov- 
ered by a pine-oak association. These sand ridges had been burned 
over when the first white settlers reached this country, but they 
apparently were originally covered by a heavy forest of pine 
and oak. Many of the stumps may still be seen and a few 
patches in protected localities survived the fire and living trees up 
to two feet in diameter are still standing. The Beech-Maple-Hemlock 
forest originally migrated out on the edges of the Platte Plains and 
some hemlocks and perhaps beeches also became established in pro- 
tected hollows among the ridges. No hard maples have been noticed 
on the Platte Plains, but an abundance of red maples took their place. 
At present the trees are small and consist chiefly of three oaks, white, 
red and ellipsoid, three pines, white (P. Strobus), red or Norway 

15 



(P. resinosa), and some Jack pine (P. Banksiana). There are also 
frequent white birches and large-toothed aspens. The shrubs are 
chiefly red ozier dogwood, and sumach. 

The undergrowth consists, in the drier portions chiefly of the 
bracken fern (Pteris aquilina), two species of blueberries, huckle- 
berry, wintergreen, several mosses, and reindeer lichen (Claydonia), 
and occasionally selaginella. In the more sheltered portions the 
trailing arbutus (Epigea repens), is not infrequently found and the 
hardier members of the Beech-Maple-PIemlock undergrowth also occur. 




Fig. 1.3. Typical vegetation of Platte Plains. 

G. Vegetation in the Glen Lake Region. Some of the best bits 
of climax forest still remaining are to be found on the Glen Lake 
moraine, but the best trees are rapidly being cut. The Day forest 
northwest of the Glen Lake Narrows is a very good specimen of a 
well-kept forest. 

The eastern edge of the Sleeping Bear Plateau forms the. dominant 
feature of the landscape looking west from the Glen Lake narrows. 
It is best reached from the west shore of Glen Lake, by farm roads 
to. the bottom of the steep slope formed by sand blown from the 
moraine by the westerly winds. On climbing this slope the surface 
of the Plateau is reached. The broad expanse of this plateau is desert- 
like in appearance with scattered dune plants and occasional patches 
of Cottonwood (Populus deltoides). The vegetation is similar to that 
of the Point Betsie dune complex, except that the balsam poplars 
(Populus balsamifera), of the Betsie dunes are replaced by cotton- 
woods on the Bear plateau. The surface of the plateau consists mostly 

16 



of blown sand on the east, but near the lake the original material of 
the moraine is exposed. This material is very sandy gravel, the sand 
from which has been bloAvn away for centuries leaving the scattered 
pebbles and cobbles to form a thin layer on top. These pebbles have 
been subjected to the action of the blown sand for so long, that they 
have acquired the characteristic features of desert pebbles — the harder 
spcimens showing the polish known as "desert biscuit," and the 
triangular pyramidal shape, and the softer pebbles being etched in 
all sorts of fantastic patterns. 

The Sleeping Bear hill is a forested dune, a relic of an earlier 
stable condition which possibly included the whole of the pateau. At 
present the vegetation occupies only the sheltered eastern side of the 
hill, the western side showing the effects of wind and wave erosion 




Fig. 14. Sleeping Bear Dune, forested on east, sloping toward the 
lake on the west. 

and being continuous in slope with the steep lake bluff on which it 
stands. The presence of several large dead cedar trunks shows the 
size of the trees which at one time grew in this locality. The views 
from the edge of the bluff and from the top of the dunes are magnifi- 
cent, extending from Point Betsie on the southwest to Pyramid Point 
on -the northeast. 

H. Aquatics. The display of water vegetation is very interesting 
and complete, ranging all the way from the more common water 
plants to the specialized and unusual bog flora. The depressions in 
the Platte Plains, the many bays along the shores of the various lakes 
and the river valleys furnish opportunities for the observation of all 
stages in the development of the water vegetation. 

17 



There is a regular order in the appearance and growth of water- 
loving plants which begins with plants which grow in deep water, 
floating unattached like the algae and some of the flowering plants. 
These are followed by plants that root on the bottom, but have their 
leaves and flowers floating on or rising above the surface, like water 
lilies, cat-tails and bulrushes. Next come the sedges and grasses 
forming a sort of meadow and then the water-loving shrubs, such as 
willows and alder, followed by arbor vitae or white "cedar and tama- 
rack (Larix), among the evergreens, and deciduous trees like the ash 
and elm. These plants grow in regular belts or zones determined by 
the depth of the water, and their remains gradually fill up the water 
until it becomes a mass of muck or peat on which the forest finally 
develops. The process is a very slow one and the vegetation may 
remain for a long time in certain stages. For instance, the grass stage 




Fig. 15. Long Lake. Peninsula with pines, aquatic plants in the bay. 



may remain as a swamp meadow or the tree stage as a cedar swamp. 
Under certain conditions a quaking mat is formed on the surface of 
ponds and in this mat, characteristic bog plants will be found. The 
■sphagnum used by florists and during the war for surgical dressings, 
is found in masses in the bog mat and with it the pitcher plant 
(Sarracenia purpurea), the sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), and the 
cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) . The lady's slipper orchid, or 
moccasin flower (Cypripedium), was formerly very common, but now 
extremely rare. The bog shrubs are cassandra or leather-leaf 
(Chamaedaphne), bog rosemary (Andromeda), the swamp blue- 
berry, and occasionally the Labrador tea (Ledum). All these shrubs 

18 



have thick glossy leaves with down on the under surface. The flowers 
and fruits resemble those of the blueberry to which family they 
belong. 

The tamarack is the first tree to appear on the bog and the black 
spruce reaches the southern limit of its range in the bogs of this 
region. Small bogs are found in various stages from wet to drj?^ 
in the depressions between the sand ridges on the Platte Plains. The 
largest examples are found in the Platte River valley, one rather 
mature and dry, on both sides of the Michigan Highway 22 just 
beyond the Platte River bridge, and a wet and quaking one on the 
west side of Loon Lake. A very large swamp or bog covered with a 
dense growth of small tamaracks lies between the eastern eyds of 





Fig. 16. Chamaedapluie bog — the home of the pitcher plaut. 

Platte and Little Platte Lakes. It is crossed by the road from Honor 
to the Platte Lake resorts. The flood plain of the Betsie River is 
bordered by dedicuous swamp trees mostly ash and elm and shrubs 
with occasional strips of swamp meadow. 

I. Crystal Lake Beach. As a result of the lowering of the waters of 
Crystal Lake at the time of the inland waterway proposition, a broad 
under water shelf or sand terrace w^as laid bare. Nothing further was 
done with the inland waterway scheme, and the beach has remained 
exposed to the present. As a result of this exposure of a broad sand 
area, the formation of dunes began at the first point on the west end 
of the lake where the southwest winds could get sufficient sweep. These 
dunes extend for nearly a mile, and increase in size toward the north. 
At the beginning they are almost indistinguishable from the beach, 

19 



and at the other end have reached a height of 10 or 15 feet and a 
length of 50 feet. The vegetation on these dnnes is scattered and 
consists chiefly of Ammophila. The vegetation of the beach is interest- 
ing because a definite date can be set for its beginning. At present it 
consists chiefly of Jnncus balticns in the wetter portions, some species 
of aster, goldenrod, and stunted shrubby growths of willow, Populus 
balsamif era, and Betula alba. At certain points there has been a slight 
invasion of arbor vitae, apparently from swamps of the high water 
period. 

At one point on the beach there caii be seen four stumps of trees 
which apparently grew on the beach at a prehistoric period of low 
water similar to the present, although they may have floated there 
from the shore at the high water stage. These stumps are about three 




Fig. 17. Bracken ferns (Pteris) in wliite birch grove. 



feet in diameter, and have been identified as Pinus Strobus. While 
the water was high they were cut off level by the action of the waves 
working the beach gravel back and forth. Since the waters were 
lowered the sand has been removed from- around them by wind action 
to a depth of approximately eight inches, and they thus give a measure 
of the lowering of the level of the beach by removal of sand by the 
wind. Their presence is interesting as indicating a possible former 
■vegetated period for this beach. If the stumps grew in their present 
position, there must have been a time at which the beach was covered 
with a pine forest, which was killed by the slow rising of the waters 
due to the forming of the bar at the outlet. 



PD 74. 



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